Goodbye Berlin, Hello Erlangen

While Erlangen is certainly not a one horse town, it is certainly a lot smaller than Berlin. It is big enough to warrant a stop for the Intercity Express Trains, but not big enough to have more than one train station.

For the most part, I really enjoyed Berlin. It is a very lively city, with a lot of things to do. It is one of the best cities I have lived in. I took an Intercity express out of Berlin (one of the very regular Hamburg-Munich trains), and had a very nice trip. The seats are more comfortable and offer more legroom than economy class seats in aeroplanes: and considering the lack of security checks and waiting at the airports, the comparative journey times is only slightly longer.

The first major stop on the way was Leipzig, and I must admit, that the scenery was nothing to look at: like the trip to Hamburg, just rolling fields. Even the towns that we passed seemed to be rather boring. The train was trying to make up for lost time however (it arrived 20 minutes late from Hamburg) and for the most part travelled at 200Km/h. After Leipzig the train slowed down considerably, but the scenery was a lot better: more mountains, forests and rivers, and it was only when we neared Erlangen, that it picked up speed again. I am not sure why it slowed down: could be the track or incline. I was at the front end of the train (well it was actually the back end in Berlin, but the train changed directions at Erlangen) and the drivers compartment was all glass from the inside, so you could see the driver drive the train: very cool, and a very pleasant change from the aeroplane cockpits.

Before I left, Hans-Peter warned me that, except for cafes and restaurants, most things were closed on Sundays. In Berlin, there was no evidence of this, but in Erlangen, it seems many cafes and restaurants are closed too! And while I was expecting a lot higher prices (Berlin is reputed to be one of the cheapest cities in Germany and in fact Europe), my current experience has been the opposite. Time will tell.

The place I am staying has both its good and bad. The good: it is very close to the main town centre, and basically everything is walking distance. The bad: I am trying to work out whether my room in Kopano was bigger than the apartment I am staying in now ... I think Kopano is winning :P